22nd December - O King
O King whom all the peoples desire,
You are the cornerstone which makes all one.
O come and save man
Whom You made from clay.
This antiphon draws our attention to the relationship between God and man.
We coming from clay and burned with God’s love, become living stones in the Mystical Body of Christ.
Mary’s own mystery is so much interwoven with that of her Son. At the Annunciation the angel came and said to her:
"Rejoice full of grace,the Lord is with you... You will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Lk 1 .28-34)
Mary, the one who brings the Saviour into the world, becomes the throne of the true High Priest who makes purification not only for his own people, but for those of the whole human race.
He is the sacrificial victim for our sins and the sins of the whole world. (1Jn 2,2)
Then, God’s kingship is a rule of love that seeks and finds man in ways that are always new. For us,this means a trust that cannot be shaken.
Maybe like kite in Fr.Colm Maninon OP's story of ’The Boy with the Small Face’ (see here) we entrust ourselves into the powerful and loving hands of our Ruler and Saviour. It is as if God says:
I made this kite with my own hands, so that everyone can see how beautiful it is when it dances in the sky.The wind blows, but it’s my hands that allow everything to dance.Sometimes the things that I make want to leave me. They think that they will be free if they can break away from the string that I hold.They think that I hold the strings so that I can show my power. They don't understand that I hold the strings so that they can show their beauty.Did you ever see a man and woman dancing together?...Let me explain...when a man and woman are dancing together it is the man who takes control. It’s very important to understand however that the man does not control so that he can show his power. Rather, the man takes control so that the woman can be free to show her beauty. The people who look, might not even notice the man who is taking control. Instead,they will see the beauty of the woman as she dances...I hold the strings of all the things that I make because I want them to be free, said the man holding the dancing kite.When they are free,they can dance. And when they dance, they can show their beauty.-So what happens when the things that You make break away from the strings that you hold?-That’s what makes me sad. When they are no longer joined to my hands, then I’m afraid to say that they are held by nothing. They are simply blown around the sky whichever way the wind blows.It might sound like fun. But the kites that break away from my hands are no longer able to dance. They think that they are free when in fact they are just tumbling around the sky.-Can the broken kites in the sky ever come back to You?-Yes ,they can always come back. But the further away that they are blown by the wind, the harder it becomes to hear my gentle voice.-What if they want to come back but they don’t know where You are?-I am here. I am always here waiting...
Christmas is not a fairy tale for children, but God's response to the drama of humanity seeking true peace 'He Himself will be PEACE' (Mi.5.4)
Let us ask God that all the violence of the world will be overcome with the power of His love.
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